‘The Boys’ Season 4 Finale Recap & Review: Butcher Does the Unthinkable

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Boys Season 4 Finale

As quickly as The Boys were back in our lives, now they’re gone again for the foreseeable future. The Boys Season 4 finale is now streaming on Prime Video and sticks the landing much more than the Season 3 finale which played things just a little too safe.

The conclusion of The Boys Season 4 works because it isn’t setting this up to be the end of the story, it’s operating on the knowledge that Season 5 will be the end. Like all other episodes this season, the finale is packed with details that are important to remember — make sure you caught all of them with our Boys Season 4 finale, “Assassination Run,” recap.

Homelander Snaps at Ryan in ‘The Boys’ Season 4 Finale

The episode opens with the news that Vought has canceled the Training A-Train spin-off and is playing a spoof promotional video to cover up the truth of A-Train’s betrayal. Frenchie (Tomer Capone) works on the virus while the Supe shapeshifter pretending to be Annie (Erin Moriarty) proposes to Hughie (Jack Quaid) and he says yes. Butcher (Karl Urban) talks to Kessler (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) at the hospital who tries to convince him to wipe out all the Supes with the virus, and Grace (Laila Robbins) visits him.

Back at Vought Tower, Homelander (Antony Starr) finds a picture of Butcher and Becca (Shantel VanSanten) and loses his mind. He tries to talk to Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) about it, but the boy leaves out of fear. The shapeshifter then visits Annie to recharge her powers and tells her about having sex with Hughie and getting engaged. She lets her know she’s going to use her to kill Robert Singer (Jim Beaver) and send her to prison for life.

Hughie then calls Butcher who tells him his time is almost up, and he asks him to apologize to The Boys for him. Meanwhile, Victoria (Claudia Doumit), Homelander, and Firecracker (Valorie Curry) go on TV and Homelander exposes Victoria as a Supe. Victoria blows up at him in anger, but he says this is the only way to change the world. She says they’ll have to arrest or kill half the country, and he responds, “Don’t you think I thought of that?”

The Seven Go on a Killing Spree

The Boys Season 4 finale continues back at Hughie’s apartment where he realizes all of their dirt on Victoria is gone. Ryan then visits Butcher at the hospital who tries to convince him to go with Grace, but promises he’ll let him make his own decision. At Vought Tower, Homelander meets with The Seven and tells them of the plan to assassinate Singer. Firecracker keeps coughing during the meeting because of her breastfeeding meds and Homelander makes her sit at the end of the table, disgusted by her.

The group decide to murder anyone at Vought with knowledge of their misdeeds and add Ashley (Colby Minifie) to the list; she heads to Homelander’s room and injects herself with Compound V in an effort to save herself. MM (Laz Alonso) lays out his plan to protect the President and Hughie realizes that Annie is the shapeshifter. The real Annie breaks free from her restraints and Hughie tells MM about fake Annie. The shapeshifter catches on and attacks the Secret Service guards, killing them all.

She then snaps Kimiko’s (Karen Fukuhara) neck and the real Annie charges in and attacks her. Annie chokes out the shapeshifter and ultimately kills her, prying the engagement ring Hughie gave her off her finger. Back at Vought Tower, Homelander threatens Victoria by saying he’ll send her a piece of her daughter Zoe (Olivia Morandin) every year for the rest of her life. The Boys get back to HQ and Hughie tries to patch things up with Annie but she’s furious he slept with and proposed to the shapeshifter.

Hughie and Annie’s Relationship Is Tested in ‘The Boys’ Season 4 Finale

Hughie tries to apologize to Annie, but she shakes her head and walks away from him. Victoria then calls Hughie and asks for The Boys’ help getting her and Zoe away from Homelander. Back at Vought Tower, The Seven begin executing employees left and right. Returning to HQ, Hughie tries to convince The Boys to help Victoria, and MM agrees it’s the best course of action. Annie finally forgives Hughie, and Kimiko admits to having feelings for Frenchie and they kiss.

Grace jumps the gun and tells Ryan that Homelander is a monster, but he doesn’t believe her, gets upset, and kills her. Hughie then brings Victoria into The Boys HQ and Butcher walks in not long after. Butcher uses his new tentacle powers and kills Victoria by ripping her in half. Frenchie threatens to shoot Butcher with his dose of the virus, but Butcher knows he doesn’t have the stomach to do it. He then walks out and looks over his shoulder with the parting words “You’re all fucking welcome.”

Sage (Susan Heyward) walks into Homelander’s room and tells him they won. He’s clearly confused, and she hands him a phone on-call with the Speaker of the House (next in line to be President) who wants to pledge his allegiance to Homelander. Homelander asks why she’s helping after he threw her out like garbage, and she says she wanted to see if she could do it. He then gives a speech along with the new President, who gives him full authority over the police and military.

The Boys say goodbye and go their separate ways as Zoe checks into Red River Institute from past seasons of The Boys and its spin-off. Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam (Asa Germann) from the Gen V spin-off then ambush Frenchie and Kimiko, and Cate makes Frenchie forget about her. The rest of The Boys are all attacked and taken hostage, and notably, Kimiko speaks her first words, screaming for Frenchie as he’s taken away.

Firecracker says on Vought TV they will Make America Super Again and the episode fades to black. A brief post-credits scene shows Homelander learning that Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) is alive and on ice, and will play a part in the final season.

‘The Boys’ Season 4 Finale Ties Everything Together With Extraordinary Style

The Boys may be gone for now, but they’ll be back for the final chapter of their story in the next few years. The Boys Season 4 finale manages to do exactly what the previous season couldn’t by not playing it too safe but also not overdoing it and landing with a belly flop. While still dealing with some overarching issues, The Boys barrels towards its conclusion in Season 5.

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